1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to luggage especially adapted to be used for carrying portable computers.
2. Description of the Related Art
The prior art has developed a variety of bags, cases or totes for transporting and protecting sensitive electronic items, such as portable computers. See e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,217,119, 5,494,157 and 5,706,992. The disclosure of these publications and of all other publications referred to herein are incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
These patents disclose bags or cases particularly suited to contain and protect portable computers in a relatively small package while providing enough additional storage space for computer related accessories and possibly business or scholastic documents. For example, the cases disclosed in these patents include compartments lined with high density foam to reduce the likelihood of damaging the computer during transit. These patents also disclose portable computer cases resembling traditional attache cases in which the case carried by one hand or suspended over one shoulder as well as cases in the form of a backpack having shoulder straps suitable for securing the case to a user's back. Moreover, the patents disclose the use of multiple carrying modes for one case, for example, an attache type case having both a handle and a shoulder strap.
The prior art also discloses other bags and carrying cases that can be converted from one style having one or more carrying means to another style case having other carrying means. For example, a handbag having a strap handle that can be reconfigured as shoulder straps is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,273,274 and a wheeled suitcase having a shoulder harness for carrying the suitcase over uneven terrain is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,503. These systems provide a user the option to carrying the case in alternate ways as desired. For example, if the bag is heavily loaded so that it is not easily held by one hand or if one is using one's hands for other purposes, such as opening a door, the aforementioned bag and suitcase can be carried on one's back via the shoulder harness.
However, this convertability often comes at the price of an aesthetically displeasing bag in which additional handles or strapping are affixed to the bag. Prior art designs provide removable handles and straps, however, typically hooks, rings and other fastening means remain attached to the outside of the bag. Moreover, other prior art designs provide for the concealment of these additional handles and straps by disposing them within a storage compartment or other dedicated pocket within the bag. If the extra strapping or handles are kept in otherwise usable storage space, the user may have to sacrifice carrying additional objects or supplies in order to carry the straps/handles. This is particularly disadvantageous for transporting portable computers, which include a number accessories vital to its operation, such as a power supply, external storage devices and pointing devices. In this case, the user is required to forego the convenience of alternate carrying means or fasten the handles/straps in place even if a different carrying means will be used.
Moreover, even if the handles/straps are kept in dedicated pockets so that they are not occupying storage compartments, the total volume of storage space for a given size bag is reduced by the space occupied by the dedicated pocket. In other words, since these dedicated pockets are typically inappropriately sized to be used as item storage compartments, the usable storage space of the bag is not increased when the extra handles/straps are being used.
In other prior art designs, rather than stowing additional handles or straps, the same handle/strap is used in all carrying means. Typically, however, the handles/straps of these designs are not optimally sized for each carrying means, due to the differing size requirements of the various carrying means. Consequently, these bags are often clumsy and awkward to carry such that the bags may be mishandled and the contents damaged. This is particularly disadvantageous when carrying delicate, high-priced electronics, such as a portable computer, that may contain highly important information.
Accordingly, there is therefore a need for an improved computer tote.